Top stories in NSW in 2018

UNDERWORLD: Former Comanchero boss Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi is gunned down outside a gym, years after he stepped away from his colourful life in Sydney's underworld. (Feb) Two members of the rival Lone Wolf club and a third man are charged with the killing months after Hawi's extravagant funeral.

FIRE: Bushfires rip through idyllic holiday village Tathra on the state's south coast, cutting the only road out of town and raining embers down on homes. More than 60 houses are destroyed and asbestos is strewn throughout the town, prompting a massive and ongoing recovery effort. (March)

FAREWELL: Family and friends of Matthew Leveson, who disappeared in 2007, lay the young man to rest at an emotional ceremony in Sydney years after their son's then-lover, Michael Atkins, was arrested, prosecuted and acquitted of his murder. (March)

MURDER: Millionaire property developer Ron Medich is sentenced to 39 years in prison for the execution-style murder of his business foe Michael McGurk in 2009 and the intimidation of his victim's widow a year later. (June)

DROUGHT: NSW is declared 100 per cent in drought as years of below-average rainfall bite across primary production areas. (August)

DESPAIR: A three-week search of bushland around the home where William Tyrrell disappeared unearths no trace of the toddler who went missing in 2014. Detectives hoped the fruitless search would put pressure on locals withholding information as they announce the case will be handed to the NSW coroner. (Sept)

YOUTH POLITICS: The NSW Nationals are embroiled in political turmoil after young conservative members allegedly pair up with neo-Nazis to stack a branch and assume control of the party's youth wing. Dozens are expelled as the internal war spills into the media spotlight. (Oct)

POLITICS: NSW Labor leader Luke Foley resigns in disgrace after pressure from his political enemies triggers ABC journalist Ashleigh Raper to break her silence about allegations he indecently touched her at a Christmas party. Foley briefly threatens legal action but later backs down as Michael Daley replaces him as opposition leader. (Nov)

MURDER: Former Newtown Jets rugby league star Chris Dawson is charged with the 1982 murder of his wife Lynette after new evidence emerged and the cold case was thrust into the public consciousness by The Teacher's Pet podcast. (Dec)